Stoplight Events
by Mirae-no-sekai
Summary: Because Axel had never changed sides alone. Companion and parallel piece to Nighttime Sortie, so same stuff applies : Hope you enjoy!


A.N. – remember _Nighttime Sortie_? Suppose you do- it hasn't been that long, and it wasn't a particularly awful piece. In any case, this is a companion piece to that. With a longer timeframe, since the narrator likes showing off the fact that he (allegedly) remembers a bunch of extra stuff- and I wanted to add more stuff to it, bwahahaha. Yeah, I did grab lines here and there from Nighttime… so sorry if you think it gets a bit déjà vu, okay? And there is no such thing as a time continuum- so sorry, again, if the time-y stuff is weird.

Same disclaimers apply, okay? As in, apart from the AU and the crack-y plot, nothing at all is mine. To Square-Enix and Disney where it's due. That's all the bureaucratic stuff I have to say, and now on to the story!

(Hope you enjoy it :)

* * *

When Axel picks up both kids in the night, he doesn't really see a boy and a girl. And, to be honest, Axel didn't feel like himself when he threw the long leathery cloak over them, smothering the protests and grinning like a younger boy.

He thinks he feels like Ven- like he's drawing on the cinema-worthy smiles and that anytime now the kids under the absurd cloak will burst into joking glares. And one of them- the gangly boy with the two long knives at the ready in much the same way- really looks like Ven. Probably what prompted Axel to do this whole thing, instead of just leaving them there.

This side of Castle, street kids were common. Same on the other side, but not of the variety that carries blades instead of popsicles and can unlock any damn thing but not throw a ball properly.

* * *

Ven had picked him up while trying every single stunt he could think of with his prized red-and-black disks. They hadn't gone all that bad- Lea wore only a couple extra bruises and cuts. The ground was mostly intact; Isa hadn't even pulled out half of his best sarcastic quotes.

"Hey there- the blond guy watching my moves."

"More like waiting for them to actually happen."

"Good one- here!"

The flying disk goes as high as Lea can make it, ruler-straight and vertical. He chases it with the other one, striking it and knocking both off-course. A roll- one's on his hand, and the other is bounced playfully off that one. Lea doesn't fumble that catch; although he comes close- had to blink, as most people do.

"I'm Lea. And he's Isa. Doesn't have a bite, unless you count sarcasm."

"Don't let Lea fool you- he's been tripping over his feet with those for a while."

"Isa, thought you were meant to support me?"

His friend rolls his eyes- that trait has been carried forwards, honed to perfection now. But this Isa does it carelessly, letting his head follow the movement and closing his bright eyes in the middle of it. Isa's accustomed to Lea's antics, down to the speeches Lea can give and the answers spoken back.

But then again, Isa has seen them a bunch of times already- okay, maybe not as Isa, but Lea gets the point. Much the same way he used to do this with actual knives and guns before switching to something more innocuous and that let them perform on the streets without fear of being chased out by the cops.

"I am. By being honest about your abilities. If it's a guaranteed win, people are bound to come."

"To what, the performance?"

"Pretty much. Or to ask some favor or other from Isa there- he's got a knack for keeping us with a job or two."

The blond guy ponders it for a moment, in the trite pose- hand on chin, eyes pointed skywards and a bit to the side. Lea's a master at copying all of the little standard quirks. Isa might be incredible at securing income for them, but it's Lea who draws the people to them with the smiles and a couple acts strung on for good measure.

"I'm Ven- Ventus for long, but no one uses that. And say, I have this place…"

* * *

Saïx reacts as usual. Axel supposed he would- he never was one for aiding others without gain. Or rather, not if the relation wasn't bone-deep, name-deep and the whole reason that Axel and Saïx are in this whole mess in the first place.

"If we make it in, they are under your care. I will reduce my dealings with them to a minimum and you'll find the others will have no reason to interact with them in any way either."

Axel grins, mad-cap and daring. It's a bit of Lea there too, reacting to finally doing something more entertaining than their mission. The risks there are too cut-and-paste for his taste.

* * *

Before Ven, Lea had been in some dubious actions and sneaking in as some guy called Reno. Ripped the name right out of some crappy action-horror movie, slapped on some sunglasses at night and waltzed into the headquarters in his full teenaged glory.

Reno wasn't stopped, but he was filed away with some more hopeful rookies.

And then there was the sulky boy with the shock of neon-light blue hair quietly focusing on some text. How he ever got here, Reno didn't know. Lea was interested beyond belief though-

"Yo. Name's Reno, and remember it."

"I see no point in doing such a thing."

"Because you'll be soon answering to me, that's why."

"If I ever end up answering to a thug with extravagance like you, I'll be sorely surprised."

Reno drops to Lea, who drops to his supposedly most charming persona. He has loads of them.

"Sure you will. So, how about we make the others answer to us?"

The boy- more like he's probably older than Lea, but he won't admit to it- ponders the thought for a minute. Lea sees the statistics flow behind his eyes, feels him calculate how much good will it do to him to have another guy with sunglasses and attitude on his team.

"My name is Isa, but do not use that one around here. And before you say to me that your name is Reno, I can tell it is not. Judging by looks, you ripped it off the film by Shin-Ra Studies- and I prefer to keep all the gambits under my eye."

Well, Lea's busted. At least, it was only this one Isa guy.

* * *

Axel flicks one of the small pyrotechnic devices high over his head. Watches it sail for a while in the air, at attention like a soldier, before ducking to the ground and bringing down Roxas and Xion with him.

Saïx remains standing further off, clicking his pistol at the impromptu opening. It's redundant, and everyone knows this- Axel knows his explosives too well.

Only thing he keeps from Reno, asides from a couple of trusty guns.

A jewelry box is a pretty accurate thing to place the target in, all things considered. Although it probably wasn't empty- and Xion's pockets probably weren't bulging a bit either. But Axel doesn't mind too much. So far, they've done alright. Taken down some unlucky guards and picking open a window latch in front of Saïx probably helped. Axel already saw the best stuff though, but he'll let his friend figure out those for his own- if anything, Saïx prefers to evaluate things at his own rate and against his own scale.

He hears him mumble something about efficiency and exceeding himself on the pyrotechnics for a small-scale, stealth based mission. In answer, Axel does what he's always done:

A grin and a victory sign, empty vial high in the air.

On normal days, Lea would've taken a deep drink from it.

* * *

Reno would've too. If they hadn't been unceremoniously kicked out after being a tad too footloose for their own good. But Lea did, and many times, when their street acts went along well enough.

When Ven picked them up, Lea was all up for sweet-talking some cheap fizzy drinks from a bored shopkeeper. And Isa, despite now showing it, was shooting pointed glances at his friend- he's taking too long to get them some drinks. They're taking too long to earn proper credits and not rely simply on Ven's good word of their physical skills and half-assed sarcasm.

But that time, Ven leads them off on a surprisingly well-lit route that leads past a bunch of almost-normal shops and restaurants, where for once Isa relaxes his shoulders and Lea throws his arms behind his head.

That time, Lea got to test his skills on a guy who almost didn't give them the treats. Sea-salt ice cream, because Lea had always wanted some of that.

Isa rants at him later, in the quiet glare-based way he always does. A sloppy performance, and why did he ever decide that sticking with him was a productive choice.

"Only saying that because you could never get some the fun way."

It took longer than Lea's usual cons, but he somehow found himself taking over extra chores in his first week as a rookie in Departure, while Isa looked on smugly and offered him a drink that was always slightly warm and half-flat.

* * *

Axel and Saïx always pick the elevated route back to headquarters. Mostly because it's more deserted, and people walking around with awkward bundles fits in well enough with the drunk-on-night-lights rooftops.

Axel picks it for showing off. To keep himself in good shape, to take the city in properly and not muddled by crisscrossing pedestrians or shiny cars. In a way, it's also to make sure Roxas and Xion don't stray too far and get lost- Saïx can and will report witnesses, and Axel doesn't fancy taking on them as targets.

"You'll get us caught, Axel, and I'll have you explaining why we suddenly have two more members and why I'm dragging you home by that hair of yours."

"And that'll be because you were the only one up on top of the buildings still acting sober and two street kids tailed us home- so then you'll be stuck with the boring admin duties again."

He was aware Isa knew how to do the backflips, but he didn't picture stoic-guy Saïx going through the same motions and beckoning them all forwards.

And the idiot even picked the widest gaps in between the buildings, so Axel has to pace himself instead of simply careening off the nearest edge.

* * *

They picked up the acrobatics from their brief stint as street actors. They honed the skills with Ven, prancing around and thieving like the actors from the movies across rooftops.

They got told that the technique was quite lacking… but it had its merits. Namely, and here Ven demonstrated with a smooth reverse arc that snapped a guard into unconsciousness, no one expected anyone to be trying those stunts. Much less without the safety of a green screen or so many cables.

So they sneak up and in everywhere. Isa does it too stiffly, leaning always towards maintaining stealth until the attacks are dealt.

Then the trio of them gets caught out-and-up-side of one of the pretty exotic restaurants, and Isa slinks them out mostly unpunished by going on and on, almost completely monotone, on how they are rehearsing for this one movie-

"How's it called?", a young girl in 'traditional' attire asks with the look of someone who knows it's not completely true.

"Ven, what was the name? It seems to have slipped my mind, with all the being caught in such a place and by such a beautiful girl-"

"No diversionary tactics, stunt extra. But thanks. Come tell me if you think you can slip in another actress in. Ask for Jasmine."

Ven hurriedly led them out the door, claiming that the rendezvous was at an inane hour in the morning to take pre-dawn shots, all the while praising Isa on his initiative.

"And that's why you watch your step, Lea. Or we end up waking up early again."

* * *

Axel doesn't bother with announcing their presence back at headquarters. A low-ranking member must've already seen him by now, and if not, all the better. Means he can catch some Z's before having to go to some mind-numbing meeting and introducing the two rookies.

For now, they just stare at the huge structure. It used to be a high society house, Axel reckons, with the sprawling gardens that aren't that unkempt and the aesthetically pleasing exterior. Then Seeker took it over- how will be a story he'll tell the kids if they pull through the first meeting- and now it's just a base of operations with delusions of grandeur.

He shoves the kids into a room with a barely-wide-enough couch and turns on a mysteriously high-quality television set to a clichéd action-horror movie.

"You'll like this movie- one of my favorites."

He hears Saïx from behind him, standing aside the couch and glaring more than watching.

"Because you don't have the capacity to appreciate anything better."

"Shush. You like it too, just because you can make vaguely lewd criticisms at the girl with the wheel-y weapons."

* * *

Jasmine did end up joining the troop, after she caught them again on the streets practicing stunts. Ven was quick enough to make the whole thing seem like an impromptu rehearsal, but this being just the three of them probably didn't go as well.

Lea remembers her arriving with a huge cat- quite distinctly a cat, and not some guard dog or anything- and going straight for Isa. His friend was twirling the handle from one of the weight-thingies from the gym nearby and nearly dropped it when the girl sidled up to him.

"So, practice cancelled?"

"More like we're early, miss…?"

"Jasmine. Hm, didn't think you'd forget about me-"

"Haven't, only we pretend to since you've caught us frolicking around instead of getting things done. Shame on you Isa, since you're the guy usually herding us into-"

"We did promise this girl we'd find her a spot, wouldn't we?"

Ven ruffles the back of his own hair, laughing all the way before extending a hand towards the girl. The cat hisses at the limb, but Ven doesn't care- if it has an owner, a bite won't do a thing, after all.

"Weird way of being a gentleman, but sure thing. Jasmine, what do you say to joining the insane double-life of…"

He lowers his voice and widens his grin. It's overly playful, even for Ven, but Lea quite liked the expression. Has tried to replicate it a bunch of time, but it never comes off with that amount of innocence.

Must've been a Ven thing.

"…thieves and high-class thespians?"

She nods solemnly, before smiling warm and flicking her fingers so that the cat stops hissing at Ven.

He remembers getting back to their old base vividly, rushing through huge sprawling gardens and hollering all the way. Not that it was really necessary, but it was part of the fun- it got some of the lazier groupies chasing behind them and let the initiation go as fast as possible.

Jasmine bats Zidane away within the first five minutes, runs herself into a dead end within ten. Faces off against Aqua and Terra, the two members with seniority, without flinching at the revolver on the blue-haired girl's hand or the longer bar on the huge boy's, within a half-hour.

When she ends up daintily seated between Isa and Ven watching a movie, Lea knows she's there to stay for as long as the group shall last.

* * *

Their meeting happens way too early, before Saïx has been caustic enough or Axel can give both the strays a good scare on one of the chase scenes.

Then again, they are going to get at least shocked into silence by this.

The lighting is awful by choice, same as the cramped sofas and the all-black décor. Axel slumps down on one, bringing Roxas and Xion down with him amidst a bit of good-natured evil cackling. It earns him a twin set of glares and a twin set of vindictive snuggling for comfort, but it's better than sharing with someone else. And anyways, Axel is still occupying his one-and-a-half slots of the sofa, even if a bit of it overlaps with Xion's space and his arms are nearly slung over Roxas's shoulders.

Nymph commandeers a sofa for herself alone by virtue of daggers and Tasers rifling every single pocket in her clothes. Hero one for his massive size, Freeshooter for booting Nocturne off his. Saïx- sorry, Diviner here- doesn't really sit. Saïx and those iterations of his before only every leant against surfaces and sat only for the most formal of business meetings.

This is just a show of reports. A little initiation, but it goes off just as fast as expected.

"So, Flurry brought home a pair of puppies. I'd suggest…_ Poppet_ for the girlie on your arm,_ Tiger _for her _boyfriend_, since he's growling so much. Then again, he better- wouldn't be much of a-"

"Name's Roxas, and you'll be using that unless you want a couple things unlocked."

"Worst taunt in the history of-"

_Click._ No one knows from where Xion got the thick padlock, but the long knife stuck inside was doubtless the reason it was currently open. She closed it with her hand, and fussed with the thing for a long half-minute- _click._

"At least, the kids know their business. So Roxas and-"

"Xion."

"Sure thing. So where you from?"

The banter goes off and on for a while, reports exchanges. Saïx takes care of theirs, passing the ornate box with the ashes over and playing dodge-ball with the questions. They're vague enough Axel can tell they're true, but it could apply to a whole wide range of things.

He notices Saïx avoids mentioning the strays. They just pop in mid-sentence, attention drawn to them and then swiftly off to unlocking a door that never was there and pushing an empty box towards them. Plausible enough, since in the tale they snuck in before Axel pulled the fire curtains down and Saïx got a couple shots in for good measure.

Then everything descends to mindless chatter and Axel finds himself voicing the little question from before-

"We ever getting any new décor?"

"Why the girly question, Ax? Did we really fall for your 'I'm a boy' trick?"

"If we did, I wouldn't be amazed at all."

"So says the guy who went as Isa for-"

"Who's Isa?"

Figures it would be Saïx on the sarcasm- for all his ploys, he hasn't dropped that as completely as he would've liked.

"Some guy I used to know. You know, everybody's changing-"

* * *

"And I don't feel the same."

"Lea, you'd be the one who would be unable to get such an obnoxious song out of your mind."

"Not my fault it's catchy. And you're just miffed I'm seeing more of your girl."

"Not my girl, in any case. And if you keep straying out of the mission boundaries, you'll get into trouble-"

"With Mouse? Are you kidding me? So long as we haul back in one piece, we'll be okay. And it's not like-"

"Lea, I hope that this time you intend to pay and I don't end up running off. The girl at the last bar had some mean guns."

"Didn't use any, right?"

"All water- got soaked, and you know Rajah takes bad to them."

"Isa here does too, so same thing. And you love when I swindle food for your romantic outings, so shush and go over to that rooftop or something."

They clamber up, Saïx barely beating Jasmine by an inch or two and still having to bow to her and extend a hand to help her out.

She doesn't take it this time, choosing to only leap and smile at him before sitting close enough for Lea to wolf-whistle at them.

* * *

When almost-not-quite-Saïx lifts the gun awkwardly, Axel doesn't think for a moment this is it. Saïx dispatches of people either in complete stealth or hazed in blood- execution style is for those who love the flair, after all. So Axel hears the oath and watches Saïx pull the trigger with a bemused expression on his face.

He doesn't need to ask _who are you_, or _what have you done to Saïx_. And honestly, it isn't Axel's problem- far as he's concerned, he likes Isa more. Or maybe the same, but Isa was more open and still managed to crack a non-serious expression once in a while.

"I did say I would shoot you."

"With a water gun?"

Of course it would be. But Axel has to ask- it's just not something Saïx would do, in all of his non-whimsical glory.

"I didn't specify with what."

He needs better excuses, and as Axel levels the toy back at his companion, he thinks that maybe he'll manage to extract something better than a couple wet-cat hisses.

The next day is a lazy day, and Axel doesn't even pretend he didn't spend most of it sleeping. He wakes up only to Roxas clicking his knife into place in the flimsy lock to his room and some practice riddled with cheap sarcasm.

Remains awake only to rescue Xion from a mind-numbing exercise from Saïx on proof-reading, although the girl doesn't seem so bored and Saïx actually thanks her for her time in a roundabout way.

"Thought it was an order…?"

"I am considering the overtime, unless you consider your work as unfulfilled. In which case-"

"Saïx, when I say you are a workaholic, I don't mean it as a compliment. Now will you come out of there and, I don't know-"

"Precisely."

* * *

He dozes off in the middle of another movie with Roxas and Xion, when the wandering swordsman and the lady at headquarters pick up a ragamuffin from the street.

"Could've been you. Except for the fact that, you know, he might've skill."

"And you could've been the swordsman if you had half the attitude. But then Saïx would've ended up as the girl from the abandoned school, and that doesn't work out."

"I'm sure it once did", Xion states calmly before nicking some of the chips off Axel's tray.

"Sure, when you were going through all the ledgers."

* * *

"Both of these kids have the potential to do something more for the group", Isa says to Aqua with a stern look on his face. The boys behind him shuffle a bit, or at least the one with spiky brown hair does.

Lea watches them with interest- of all people; Isa picking someone up is unheard of. But he saw the kids fighting off some guys from the other side of Castle alright, and even saw them cajole one of Jasmine's friends into giving them some free goodies. So not entirely implausible, but still odd.

Aqua smiles and strides towards the kids.

"Isa, you haven't omitted to tell me their names, have you?"

"I'm Riku", one answers, serene and more concerned with the fact that the lithe lady in front of him quite clearly comes from a wildly different background.

"And I'm his best friend Sora", the guy with the spiky hair beams. Hands behind his head, just like Ven, and with the same obnoxiously innocent smile. Same blue eyes, if that's possible, but they work just fine with Aqua.

"Riku and Sora. Fine names, and fine boys if what Isa says is true. Now, we're a family more than an organization. Or more like a bunch of friends. So don't let the whole technical issues worry you too much- it just means I pack you off to somewhere different. For the missions, I mean."

"If you're lucky, you end up with me."

"If you have any sort of skill, you'll end up training Lea- that's what he means, in any case."

"For now, go report over to Kairi and have her jot you in. And keep the star she gives you."

* * *

Axel broke his halfway through the first week, although he kept the plastic sea-shells in a little equally plastic bag.

He hands one over to Xion, grinning from ear to ear, and saying that if she shows that to Saïx something cool happens.

To Roxas, he hands over another one, but he tells another story. Or more like vaguely points to it, referring to a blond sunny boy who looked a pretty damn lot like him and a brown sunny boy who got in by sheer skill and a couple well-placed smiles.

"Guess that doesn't work here."

"Nah. But you pick locks better than him and can eat a popsicle faster. You have two of those too-"

Roxas flips a knife with ease before dropping it into a scabbard of sorts in the same motion.

"And you wish you had one too."

* * *

Ven taught them to pick locks- Sora and Riku, that was. Lea just had a knack for tagging along and using one of Jasmine's hairpins. Or explosives, but that wasn't Ven's point.

Lea didn't want one of the long key-blades back then, and Axel sure doesn't want one now. They'd look cool, be useful, but forever taunt him with the smiles and other times.

After all, he always had a gift for tagging along. So for now, he lets Roxas show them off and gives him pointers on how to dual-wield.

"Hey boys- mission today."

It's Ven, beaming down at Lea. From his position splayed on the ground and half-asleep, Lea barely manages to make a conclusive meh sign.

"What is the character of this mission?"

"Standard issue raid, Isa. We're just going on the other side of Castle."

"You know, if I wasn't this tired-"

"How about, hmm…"

Lea watches Ven think this through for a while; sees Isa take a couple practice swings with the weight handlebar he uses as a weapon most of the time.

"I'll let you sleep late for a week?"

"Ventus, you'll know Lea will do that anyways. I offer him the chance to not have to take over all of the administration duties he's yet to catch up on-"

"Isa you _traitor_! You swore you'd never tell-"

"And I will have not said a thing unless you get off your back and set off on this mission in this moment."

Isa sets off, in a seemingly random direction. Ven watches him go for a while, arms propped behind his head and grinning at the retreating back.

"He's a handful, right? Come on, or we'll also have to find him. Set off the wrong way."

Isa might've not heard Ven's comment, but Lea's laughter is impossible to mask even in the dull buzz of other people's noise.

* * *

He gets sent on some little search-and-deal-with mission along with Roxas. It goes as smoothly as expected, with what seemed the entire complex's guards catching on to them and reaching the target room with a severe dearth of ammunition and many minutes burned.

"Don't think we'll have to be too mindful going out."

"On the contrary, Rox, we'll have to be exceedingly mindful. Of not tripping over too many bodies- since fingerprints are the most god-awful thing to hide. Ever."

"Sounded just like Saïx-"

"Nah. I'm just a bit eager to burn them off and hit the ice-cream stand. With not too many bloodstains- the girl is beginning to get sick of the movie stunt double excuse."

* * *

Lea can tell that this time, it won't work.

Far away, he can still hear Ven calling taunts as loudly as possible and the clipped, cold cacophony of continued gunfire. Too many to be Ven alone, even if he did know how to shoot two at once and screw recoil in creative ways.

His feet pound against concrete and every corner holds the guy who looks too much like Sora-and-Ven and whenever did this damn sortie turn out so wrong-?

_Bang._

A bullet grazes his leg, stinging enough to bring him down and Isa is pelting further and further away without a-

_Bang._

On his shoulder, still not deep enough to really wound, but here Lea cries out. He's too manly to whimper, or so he thinks. Muffles a prayer and a thanks for the dismal aim, before realizing that whoever was aiming at him was probably aiming at Ven and oh-

Isa leaps forwards. Silent as always, teeth bared and swinging his weapon with full strength at the closest assailant. The next guy, the next guy and ignoring the fact that there are more incoming and he'll get a bullet between those infernally bright eyes of his faster than Lea did.

So Lea shoots once-twice and doesn't really flinch when a bastard pulls out a pocket knife and scores two (mother of mercy, let those be shallow) slashes across Isa's face.

It's Reno again pulling the trigger and bringing that guy down as Isa spins and sends a man with hair in brown spikes ricocheting to the nearest wall.

But it's Lea who picks Isa up and runs as fast as their legs will carry them back to the main camp.

* * *

He lets Roxas hand in the mission report once they've finished laughing and elbowing each other on their shared couch. Today, Xion ended up victorious and Axel has to pay for the sea-salt ice-cream round.

Make that _rounds_. It's a meeting day, and they will need something to shake the mental numbness completely from their brains.

Else it will leave them too much like what Saïx-Isa has become, and Axel isn't quite sure he's comfortable with that.

He was before, at any rate. So he slings his arms around Xion's shoulder and Roxas's head, drawing them in with the fuse-like things. Smiles instead of pointing properly at Saïx, since that's the proper way to act in a conspiracy and says:

"Look, Saïx here? He's part of this as well- I'm not kidding. Lea had this friend…"

"You have to", says Xion with the mystified look she wears at times. "Because he's-"

Saïx cuts her off with a popsicle that time. With dragging the lot of them off to a seafood restaurant the next time Xion brings up the subject and looks at him in a way that makes even Axel uncomfortable.

* * *

"You've been here before, haven't you?"

Of course they have. When Isa finally got sick of pining for Jasmine informally and took her out to the first reputable locale he found. When Aqua had to make some negotiations and a whole bunch of rookies would fill out a place in case anything went awry and the lady was attacked.

When they had to break to her and Terra that no, Ven hadn't simply gone MIA and _please, please, don't throw us out. We tried to go back, we really did, but the guy with amber contacts and spiky hair was too much for us._

Xion slides a rosy seashell from a glass display, holding it up to the light before stuffing it into a pocket and smiling like she didn't do anything wrong.

"I like it quite a lot."

The next time she tries to raise a vaguely doublethink argument, Saïx presses one of the plastic shells of the star-charm into her hand.

"Maybe you're still a bit of Isa after all."

* * *

Axel is dangerously aware of when Isa leapt straight through to Saïx. It was sometime between him falling out with Jasmine- something about a wrong crowd, or getting increasingly glacial.

Sometime between that and having most of the entire group fall apart because, with Ven gone and Aqua and Terra on the warpath seeking for him, no-one really managed to keep the ragtag bunch together.

Axel- by then, he was actually stuck in limbo between Lea and Lea-plus-X- had stuck by Isa. Had been stuck with by Sora, Kairi and Riku, in that order, stringing along like a rosary. And he couldn't disagree to that little core group banding together, them plus Saïx plus Jasmine, not even when Seeker took them in.

They had numbered roughly thirty at the beginning. Most of them from the crumbling bits of ex-Departure- here one of the recon techies greeting Kairi from behind a curtain of bluish hair, here two of the burly arsenal guards chatting Isa up, here the girl with the drawings and no clear role. They're an even screwier mishmash than before, but Lea-Axel knows that stuff like this has a great chance of working.

Then Jasmine left. About something relating to the methods, the aims, the people. A bunch of veiled insults at Saïx, about how much he'd changed, damn it, and what happened to the adolescent in the rooftops who'd charm her into sharing the same ice-cream or letting Rajah loose. Axel wasn't in that argument, more concerned with taunting the recently-dubbed Schemer about finding him messing around (off-duty, but it's not like the superiors care) with the drawing girl.

But he does get to see Jasmine storming out, waving herself curtly goodbye and telling Axel to rely a message to Isa, and only Isa.

"I'll be back for him. Somehow, someday, if he returns to that."

* * *

When Xion walks out serene from Saïx's room loaded down with administrative duty, Axel asks if she's been brainwashed. By the way she glares at him- playfully, with a challenge to any force who'd dare do that- Axel can tell she hasn't.

"More like, I'm…"

"Unlocking him?"

She laughs, so clear it pins Axel to the dirty walls.

"You just wish."

* * *

Axel gets to off someone- or no-one- at Saïx's command. It's his trick, when back with Reno- his friend would give a little order and there would be no witnesses, no hostiles, no anybody but the cocky redhead with the bombs and the guns.

He curses the fact that this death has to be silent, and that Schemer takes so long to run out of air. In the movies, it's shorter. The victim doesn't claw desperately at Axel's arm, doesn't look so desperate for another day-minute-second more.

Axel-in-a-movie doesn't have to go report to the drawing girl- freelancing now for some propaganda agency or other, about how someone might've died. Doesn't have to go tell Saïx that as far as missions go, this one was a bore. But Axel still does, because it isn't over until that stuff happens and he can't get the all-clear for swindling a little ice-cream.

"And you didn't even need the fanfare, didn't you, Axel?"

* * *

A couple of weeks- or maybe it was days, or months- Saïx drops the bomb.

Damn it, that was Axel's job. Most of the time, when it involves pyrotechnic efforts and exothermic reactions- but this was a Saïx thing, so Axel doesn't mind.

Or maybe he does, when Saïx says that they've been compromised and why should they ever care.

He defends Roxas and Xion with the same stuff he's always done, with a bit more anger behind the words and keeping himself in careful check. Not like Saïx can't take care of an explosion or two, but-

"I'll cover for you. Always have done so, haven't I?"

He means for the statement to hurt Saïx somehow, and isn't too surprised when it visibly doesn't.

He means for the statement to call back to when Jasmine left and Axel had to play two parts and hide her defection for so long they called her KIA. Or to call back to when Sora and company blazed out, in all their rebel glory and Saïx had to stop-stagger them. And survived, somehow- for a while, Sora wanted him stiff on the ground, before enough cajoling and Kairi getting her leg fixed happened.

But Axel does find weird that, for a stretch of time, he even goes out on training with the strays and grimaces at the bad jokes they make.

* * *

He hears Xion was ambushed second hand, from one of the gossipy girls that waits a nearby skimpy-bar and tots a water gun like it's the real deal. Something about a huge affair, and LeBreau's boy might need stitches for that, or Olette spending a whole week in the hospital standing sentry over Hayner.

It doesn't take too much to get an entire story- just a couple of not-lewd comments and some change slipped in.

But Axel hears of Saïx-Isa bursting in, swinging and shooting like the closet berserker he is, at the first guy who tried to lay a hand on Xion. Some bar patrons joining the brawl, some more of the other gang tagging in and getting a knife to the knees or a crowbar to the chest.

He doesn't confront Saïx for this. But he does tell Roxas, about a little debt he has to settle because of something that happened when they were all the way on the other side of Castle and _don't worry, Xion's okay._

* * *

Saïx complains about kindness being a biter in the rear end, and Axel just laughs.

"Came in the form of haunting blondes with two blades?"

"And a berserker that had a higher accuracy. Mind you, your pathetic technique is rubbing off on him. He'll end up wasted like that."

"That serious?"

"Might sink down to Nymph's level. It will be pitiful, but I've done what I can to prevent such an event."

Axel blinks for a while more, stunned but not gaping, and relays the message from Jasmine in morse code tapped against the wall.

Or he thinks he did, with the words hammering like so in his brain.

* * *

When he gets the alibi- double- and cross-checked everywhere, as per Saïx's custom- Axel is mildly surprised.

One, two, three, four. Two too many, or a snug fit. Three boys and one girl, with cunningly edited pictures already in place and backstories in placed. It's nostalgic, downright sappy, and both incredibly like and radically different from Saïx. Or the guy he's become again.

"Don't tell me you expected anything less from me, Axel."

"Didn't ever, Saïx. I have committed your obsession with perfection to memory, same as I have vowed to never use that small phrase again."

"Good riddance."

"We're still compromised?"

"Unless you want Roxas to really involve Nocturne in this, or Gambler to finally win a secret out of Xion."

"Then we are. The girl at the ice cream bar will miss us, won't she?"

But Axel, by now, doesn't really mind. He doesn't grin, not really, but he slips into one of the most noncommittal expressions Lea once wore.

"You know, I should've expected this anyways."

"Why?"

"You had stopped whining about the flavor of the ice-cream. Or about Xion leaning, how did you put it, indecently far over the railing."

"I decided that the deplorable taste wouldn't get any better unless I took a gun to the factory owner, and Xion can learn to handle the falls herself."

"Because you'd jump straight after her?"

"I'd let you risk your neck for her this time", Saïx says with the quietness of an afterthought and a look that hints, just a bit, at actual care.

* * *

He gets glared at by Roxas for a long, long week. Needled with pointless questions about how many lives he has led.

"Just the one."

A rakish smile that Axel wishes won't rub off on Roxas, because his face can't pull them off.

"I just keep it interesting. And I _want_ to; else no-one would remember the stripper as well."

"You haven't been a stripper."

He amps up the edge-of-illegality on the expression.

"Lea hasn't. Axel hasn't. But-"

"No one would like to watch that."

Actually, people did. Reno was drunk off his head and his already disheveled clothing came too close to unslung off both shoulders for almost-Isa's comfort.

But that memory got obliterated from most people along with the drinks that night, and Lea made his first professional bonfire with the photos.

"You wouldn't know. But okay, I haven't been one. And Saïx will make sure you get something better than that either ways."

A look of mock hurt, spoiled by the smile and the fact that Roxas's gawp is amusingly serious.

"But do you really think that about me?"

The blond kid shakes his head and holds up the ruefully standard-issue clothing.

"Not particularly. Although you should eat more."

"I beat you every night with the sea-salt."

* * *

From Xion, fewer troubles come. Though that's because she's half an illusion herself and the other half's mostly quirks. Schemer could've claimed she was one of his works and been just a tad right.

The shirt she wears is long, baggy and from a sportsman she'll pretend is her boyfriend. The glasses she wears have no correction on the sights- and Axel straightens them out, teasing that maybe Roxas and he will have to break out the weapons.

"Like you don't do so already. Save the hokey speech- I know what I'm doing."

From a sleeve, she holds out a paper. Axel doesn't really recognize a thing, except a buxom figure drawn atop seven clouds and holding some drinks.

"No regards sent, although I think I'd like to go there and apologize for Skye's… accident."

Xion passes a hand over her clothes and finishes smoothing the outfit into compliance.

"Wouldn't have left you anyways, although you wouldn't have recognized me."

"As if that was possible, Xion. You have-"

"Save the hokey speech. I know that already- Saïx gave it to me."

A pause, a shift back to the other look she wears.

"He probably won't make it back to, you know… before, but it will be better."

* * *

Of course there are kinks in the escape. Of course, one of them stumbles back and holds the line in mistakes and last flares for the others.

It was Ven once, for a bunch of boys. It was Axel once, trying to buy Saïx time to escape from Jasmine's team and the threat of paradise. Hell, it was even Jasmine once, when the first group imploded and they had to bolt and lost Rajah in the tenth skirmish against Pete's gang.

After a couple of those, they had even sworn to never leave a friend behind. Not when they were pulling a Sora and blazing out, not when they were sticking to their posts to the bitter end.

So when Saïx falls back and makes the enemies flare up in death throes, Axel rushes back at full tilt. Roxas follows behind- Xion doesn't, and he was planning to chew her out of her disguise because of it.

But well, they did chase themselves into a perfectly cleared corridor with Xion waiting at the end. And Axel-Lea needs to chew someone- many ones- out for the almost-fiasco. For the overload of memories of the last time or so.

"Saïx, I think we had agreed, way back, to not leave others behind. Got it memorized?"

"I thought you had dropped that, Lea."

"Haven't. Lea's back anyways."

"Don't think you can be Isa again though"- click goes a lock and a curse slithers out as more locks are found.

"Don't need to."

* * *

The Seventh Heaven is a pretty neat place. Despite having lights drunk on the atmosphere, despite being frequented by representatives of every crowd and despite having Axel nearly knocked out by an ex-soldier for staring too long at the manager-slash-barmaid.

He shares a table with Roxas, not even trying to be inconspicuous and trusting casualness to act as a good enough cover.

Far away, Saïx chats up the same copper-and-sand girl from before, offering her a popsicle. Xion fiddles with a bendy straw and runs comments- they don't make Saïx snigger, but Jasmine laughs a little.

"Think we're good."

A grin at Roxas.

"Time we fixed that."

* * *

A dolled-up Cloud takes a stage in the Seventh Heaven, providing a half-hearted distraction. Lea signals over to Xion, who discreetly pulls out a vial.

He pours out the contents. Jasmine swore that they aren't really harmful, just a couple spices that might make the drink memorable- but after a couple experiences with some of her traditional Indian food, he isn't that sure that there won't be collateral damage.

But it's Seeker who's getting the drink. A signal back before he has to duck fast under and out of the kitchen while Xion sidles out with the drinks and an attentive ear to a girl's sob story.

Then Roxas enters the stage, and Axel hollers the loudest when he ever so casually tugs on the sleeve of Cloud's dress and causes the thing to fall off.

"Well played Rox, well played!"

"Just because your trick with the drinks was awful."

"Wait and see."

Seeker puts the glass to his lips almost on cue.


End file.
